Customer Ratings & Reviews

I love this little guy. I can take him anywhere and play anytime. I use it as a teacher in the classroom, at home at parties, and everywhere in between

Sounds great wish it was a little louder sometimes (solved that with an equalizer tho). Bass is great wish it was harder but it can be pretty good! Battery seems to die even when turned off tho even then i have to charge it only once or so a week

This Bluetooth speaker is such a great addition to my listening experience. I can take it anywhere and have awesome music to listen to. Looking forward to hearing my music in the backyard this Spring, Summer and Fall. Rock on !!!

the price is very high, the battery does not last long and at high volume it discharges very quickly, the sound is good but it is not loud, the cable to charge the battery is very short

Speaker worked great. Two different wedding parties used it on a bus on their way to the reception. Portable, and the battery lasts.

I love the sound and the fact that it will charge while I am still listening.

At first I was pretty confused by the design of this XE300 portable bluetooth speaker from Sony. I couldn't quite figure out why anyone would design a speaker with such a tall and narrow driver. Was this a "directional" speaker? Wouldn't that limit the amount of sound that is output by the speaker to a very limited range? As it turns out, Sony very deliberately designed this speaker with it's new line shape diffuser technology. This would explain why the design choice initially seemed odd. After curiosity got the best of me, I did a bit of research. Sony's design choice was inspired by professional grade audio systems that are used at serious concerts. This design is supposed to help with distributing the sound evenly and wider to fill the empty space around you. After using this in various indoor and outdoor settings, I can attest that it does a phenomenal job of filling any room, or the space around you. The sound feels better dispersed with a greater range of coverage as compared to other current outdoor speakers that I've owned. I'm a big fan of the sound signature on this speaker. The mids are very clear and crisp. Very impressed with the vocals for a bluetooth speaker (listened to a lot of Diana Krall and it sounded amazing!). Even at full volume, the sound signature retains it's sharpness with no distortion. The bass is tight and punchy. Initially, I thought the bass was a bit lacking for an outdoor speaker but as I began to listen to different genres of music, I noticed that it was more than capable of producing a deep and punchy low frequency without sounding muddled. I think it's a very well balanced sound signature. It's not the best sounding outdoor bluetooth speaker I've ever heard, but it is the best sounding outdoor speaker I've heard in it's pricing segment. Also, I realized I could increase the intensity of the bass to my liking via the Sony music center app. In terms of build quality, you can instantly tell it was designed to take a beating. I feel very confident knowing that it will survive multiple rough drops. Most the the body of the speaker is outfitted with a very soft and comfortable rubber lining. Sony made this an IP67 certified speaker. The moment you hold this in your hands, you can tell that it's fully waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof. Sony claims that it maintains it's operability when submerged upto a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes. I left this floating in our pool for about 15 minutes playing music with no issues. I really like the rubber charging cut-out for the USB type-C port. Very easy to access and it has an outstanding seal. No water is getting through there! There are quite a few features that I found to be incredibly useful while using this speaker. A lot of these features are usually not found in other outdoor bluetooth speakers. I've listed them below: - 70 minutes of music playtime with a quick 10 minute charge - 30 meter bluetooth range (My current outdoor bluetooth speakers do 15M!) - Battery Care function (stops charging the battery just before it reaches 100% in order to increase the life span of the battery) - Incredibly easy setup. Just by my bluetooth being on, my Android device instantly detected the XE300 without having to manually pair it - Bluetooth version 5.2; This allowed for an extremely good bluetooth connection. During my week of testing, not once did I experience any sort of audio interruptions or noise - Physical battery indicator button that audibly tells you how much battery you have left - Phenomenal Audio EQ app; The Sony Music Center mobile app instantly detects the speaker, the app is very stable, and the EQ function is tuned well - "Bluetooth Connection Quality" on Sony Music Center App. Allows you to prioritize the bluetooth connection for sound quality or for a more stable connection if you're in a noisy 2.4Ghz frequency environment Overall, I think this is one of the best bluetooth outdoor speakers on the market in it's pricing segment. There are really only two minor cons I have. First, due to the somewhat large hexagonal shape of the speaker, it's a bit difficult to hold with one hand (for reference, I have medium to large hands). This is also compounded by the fact that it's a relatively heavy speaker. I would have loved to see Sony affix some type of unobtrusive waterproof handle on the back of the speaker where you can just slip your hand into. There's plenty of space on the back of the speaker to implement something like this. Not a huge deal but I think it would improve the portability experience. Secondly, you only get a measly 1.5 ft USB type-C charging cable. Luckily, with USB type-C being the current standard, people are likely to own multiple lengths of USB type-C cables. Other than those minor cons, I think beachgoers, pool junkies, or any outdoor weekend warriors will love this speaker. Not only does it produce some of the best sound in it's segment, but it's built to take heavy abuse. Buy with confidence, there's very little not to like.

I just love this item. It plays very well and very simple to use. Very easy to set up. Highly recommended. Use it for a spa.

This speaker is loud and has very good quality! It is a powerhouse when paired with another as a studio pair

Great for work or home. Great crisp sound! I’ve enjoyed using my Sony speaker during work and play!

I tried every Bluetooth speaker in store before settling on this.it doesn’t disappoint and has an app that you can use to adjust sound

I consider myself an audio enthusiast, so when a NEW Sony speaker was available, I jumped at the opportunity. ​​TL;DR for my frequent readers and details below. Good: Weight Design (won’t roll) Multi-positioning Multiple device pairing Battery life App tuning / ClearAudio+ Sound Bad: Slippery / smooth texture USB-A to USB-C cable doesn’t include wall adapter Meh: Another Sony App No Voice Commands Battery Percentage can be inaccurate (in conservation mode) Sony appears to be another manufacturer that is stripping color from their boxes and that’s not all that bad; simple packaging is good. Taking the speaker out, I felt the heft of it. A rubbery appearance with a cool cloth design jumped out at me with the rubbery section being very smooth. It’s a clean-looking, gray, barely badged speaker with a number of low-profile, small buttons. Single handed carrying of this speaker, if you’re not holding onto some of the fabric is slippery. Some kind of low-profile strap to slip your hand under would come in handy as I know I’ll be in a hurry, grab the slippery part & it’ll get dropped. I like to fully charge devices before starting up the configuration and that was quick out of the box, only 45 or so minutes. USB-C is adapted for this speaker, however it’s an A->C cable is included without a wall adapter and since most of my adapters are USB-C now, making me have to dig out an old Samsung charger. Right off the bat, another Sony App is needed: Sony Music Center. It’s a bummer that it isn’t shared with the wireless headphones/earbuds App. Spotify, YouTube Music and iHearRadio can be launched from the App, to stream music from that device. In the Settings section, you can configure a number of preferences including: Bass/Treble/Mids, a “Sony knows best” ClearAudio+ setting & some other effects that I find pretty useless. Good thing to note: Sound tuning survives the App closing on the device it was changed on. I found that during music play, ClearAudio+ did a decent job tuning to what the music was heavy with (bass, etc). TV streaming & sports, also a good job; I didn’t find myself needing to turn the mids / treble up. A new trend of charging up to 80% for battery conservation (like on my new laptops), is also included with the App for this speaker. Side note: if you’re charged to 100% and enable the battery conservation setting, it’ll say the speaker is only at 80%; disabling it shows the true value - for me, 100% after a full charge. I ran this speaker from the day I received it and for another 4 days of random use which only brought it down to 80%. Given that, I’m pretty happy with the battery life. Multiple devices can simultaneously connect to the speaker, which can be good and bad; streaming from a TV and getting a notification from your phone will ‘lower’ the volume to the stream until the notification finishes. With the design looking like a house when on its side, it’s not going to roll off a table and allows for different positioning to keep sound facing the way you want it to be. One thing that keeps this from being the ‘always by the pool’ speaker, is the lack of voice assistant integration; a “Hey Google” or “Alexa” would have made this my only speaker, but I’ll have to keep the other one in play. Speaking of the pool, it’s documented to be waterproof for up to 3 feet for some amount of time. The charging port has a water-proof looking door and secures tightly so I’m not concerned about water getting in there. Since I like this speaker so much and I don’t need to have it floating around in the water (does it float?), I didn’t want to put that to the test. So, after a fair amount of use I recommend this speaker.

I really like this speaker. The sound is great and it connects to phone easily.

Good speaker for suze and cost, i just wished i bought bigger paying more

Easy to setup with my iPhone, provides great sound in my shop.

Sounds great and doesnt need to be charged for hours

nice speaker. great for music and shows but pretty atrocious for gaming

Compact, rugged, portable, and powerful Bluetooth speaker. It took less than 5 mins to set it up. Downloaded the Sony music center app to configure play lists, change audio settings and has option pair with a second speaker for party mode. Pros: It has an interesting line-shape diffuser design which allows sound to travel further out into the room, similar to 360-degree surround sound. I am comparing my XE300 experience with similar ones that I have and in the same price range. The first thing that stood out is its unique line shape design that distributed the sound uniformly in the room for live music experience. Crisp sound even at high volume with powerful base that doesn't muffle the audio. It boasts dual (top and bottom) passive radiators to enhance the bass in spite of its compact size and has "party connect" mode which allows another speaker to be paired. It has a built-in mic with echo cancellation technology. I used it to answer a few calls. I had it connected to my laptop for a conference call and I was amazed by its echo cancellation technology - didn't have any complaints on echo or voice cutting out with several people talking at the same time. It allows two devices to be connected to the speaker at the same time and you can easily switch between those by hitting the Bluetooth button. I wish it came with noise cancellation feature for outdoor use. IP67 rated, meaning its waterproof (1 meter for up to 30 mins) and doesn't get damaged if accidentally dropped in water. Robust design for outdoor use (withstands drops and bumps) and dustproof. Can't wait to take it to the beach! Fast charging (10 mins charge gives you up to 70 min playtime) via USB-C port with battery care feature (prevents overcharging and increases battery life) and 24-hour playtime on a single charge. Has voice prompts to indicate the battery level when you press the battery button. It has a few other buttons to play/pause, volume control, mute, and power button. Cons: App can use some improvement - quick access to audio settings, customizable audio settings tab, etc. Overall, I rate it 5/5. It has good sub-base (20 Hz- 60 Hz), average base (60Hz-250Hz), good low midrange (harmonics), and average upper midrange (timbre). Definitely rate it excellent on Presence (4k to 6k - clarity) and crisp voice even at high volumes with all day battery life!

## Design The Sony SRS-XE200 speaker has a new, unique design where it is not obvious where the actual speakers are located. Instead, Sony is using a new “line-shape diffuser” on this speaker which helps distribute the sound more evenly around the speaker. The speaker has a modern design with a mostly plastic exterior and some fabric accents behind it, that for some reason makes me think of the Cybertruck when I see it. Aside from some small LED indicator lights, there are no “party lights” on the XE200 as compared to something like Sony’s SRS-XB32. There is a carrying strap attached to the speaker that is almost too long as it sometimes gets in the way of setting the speaker down on a flat surface. Towards the back of the speaker, you’ll find the power button, Bluetooth button, play/pause button, volume buttons, battery status button, and (not found on many Bluetooth speaker) a dedicated mute button for the microphone. The USB-C charging port can be found under the flap on the back of the speaker. ## Performance Coming from the Sony SRS-XB32 speaker, I did notice that the bass is not as strong on the XE200 out of the box. However, you can increase (or decrease) the bass (or mids or treble) through the equalizer in Sony’s Music Center app, but there is no dedicated “bass boost” function. Still, sound quality is great and the speaker gets loud enough to fill a medium to large-ish sized room, making it great for indoor or outdoor social gatherings. The new Line-Shape Diffuser does indeed help distribute the sound from the speaker to not only directly in front of the speaker, but to the sides of the speaker as well. So you don’t need to be sitting exactly in front of the speaker to get the best sound. ## Features Line-Shape Diffuser: Looking at the speaker, you’ll see a narrow fabric area on the front between larger plastic panels. If you’re like me, you would think this would limit the sound coming out of the speaker, but it instead helps spread the sound out to about 60-70 degrees on either side. Battery Care feature: This isn’t on by default, but in Sony’s Music Center app, you can enable the Battery Care feature to limit charging to about 90%. This helps prolong the lifespan of the speaker’s battery because, like our smartphones, we should not keep lithium batteries charged to 100% all of the time. You can, of course, disable this feature if you do indeed want the battery at 100% for a long camping trip, for example. IP67 water and dust resistance: This speaker is ideal for travel or using pool-side with its IP67 rating, so you don’t need to worry about splashes, sand, or dust (just make sure to keep the charging port closed tightly). Echo Canceling microphone: You can also use this speaker for work calls as it has an echo canceling microphone. In testing the speaker in an empty room by recording myself, I did indeed notice that the speaker seemed to eliminate any echo from my voice as long as I was facing the front of the speaker directly. ## Battery Life The speaker can achieve up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge, and uses a common USB-C cable for recharging. A quick 10 minute charge can get you just over an hour of playback time when time is of the essence. As noted above, you can enable the Battery Care feature in the Sony Music Center app to help prolong the lifespan ## Summary The Sony SRS-XE200 speaker is an ideal outdoor musical companion thanks to its great sound quality and IP67 water and dust resistance. The speaker can also be used as a speakerphone for work calls with its echo canceling microphone.

This speaker is amazing! I mostly use it for work but it’s still by far one of the best speakers I’ve ever purchased. It’s durable, it uses type-C for charging, it’s loud but the only downside is the lack of bass. It’s still really good. 9/10 would recommend.